Completed project
Assessment of new varieties to improve fruit quality in dried prunes (DP12000)
Publication date: June 4, 2015
Delivery Partner: Community Horticultural Services
This project, which ran from 2010 into 2015, continued work to evaluate the suitability of new varieties of prunes under Australian conditions, comparing to the industry standard d’Agen.
Varieties included in this project were Sutter, Van der Merwe, Muir Beauty, California French Improved and d’Agen. One characteristic researchers sought was different blossom and harvest times. Planting varieties with different blossom and harvest windows prevents an entire crop from being wiped out during significant weather events as well as making better economic use of harvest and dehydration facilities.
Trees were planted in 2010 and were assessed for blossom, crop load, tree growth and fruit quality over the following years. Researchers also recorded flowering and maturity dates. Two rootstocks were trialled.
The research team reported the following key findings:
Two of the trialled varieties, California French Improved and Muir Beauty, are now available from commercial nurseries in Australia, along with Krymsk rootstock which was trialled in an earlier study.
This project was a strategic levy investment in the Hort Innovation Prune Fund
© 2026 Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited.
Related industries
